Anyone use it for your mutt? Our 10yr old Lab/Hound mix is showing signs of aging (aren't we all?). She always wants to go for her walks, but lately she's had a hell of a time hopping into the back of the car. Just as often as not now, I'm having to lift her into the car. Oh yeah, she also struggles to get up on our bed. Yeah, yeah, I know. At her last physical, the vet did mention the possibility of arthritis. Of course it doesn't help that she's carrying around a few extra pounds.

Anyway, I'm wondering if it's worth trying some Glucosamine & Chondroitin supplements. A quick Google search doesn't seem to indicate any harm, per se. But I'm wondering if anyone here has had any experience using them with your pet and whether it was beneficial. Preferred brands? Thanks.

Just seeing an add for Cosequin on TV right now.
I take a Glucosamine supplement and have for years. It has seemed to help me.
I take the generic Costco version, so I would look for something similar for your pooch.

Edit: I switched to Glucosamine with MSM because I read that the chondroitin didn't really do anything.

"Some people have also used glucosamine to try to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, allergies, chronic venous insufficiency, sports injuries, temporomandibular joint problems (TMJ), and long-term low back pain. So far, though, there's not much scientific evidence that it works for those problems."

Just don't spend too much money on it. Pushing supplements is all about making money for drug companies as they don't have to prove that they have any medical benefits. In fact they can't even claim any medical benefits because they haven't been clinically tested.

This is a hotly debated area. For the most part, the evidence is thin for the supplements.

Vets are likely to recommend an NSAID instead. But they have issues:

--nature-loving, pet-loving crazy people will insist you are poisoning your dog and insist you use kale
--there are definite risks for GI reactions to the drugs. Many dogs live for years with no reactions, but the interwebs are full of horror stories about bleeding and liver damage
--they are pretty expensive.

That said, I am convinced that Derramax extended the life of our last retriever by a couple of years. On the meds he could walk, run a bit, do his bodily business, and climb a few stairs. I still had to lift him into the truck, but he seemed good. Off the meds he just laid on the floor with glassy eyes.

We monitored him pretty closely, and at the vet's instruction tried for the smallest dose that seemed to get the benefits. The vet was trying to protect the dog's liver.

He was on the stuff for the last three years, and died just a month short of his 16th birthday. Had a stroke.

My dog's orthopedic surgeon recommends Dasuquin and Wellactin. Assuming it is arthritis. My dog has been on Dasuquin from a young age to hopefully ward off, ease, or lessen arthritic development. The doc most recently suggested adding Wellactin.

Both are OTC and easy to buy from Chewy or Amazon. Definitely put her on a diet and lose those extra pounds. I'd also get some X-rays or see an orthopedic surgeon. It's possible that it's something else.

BTW, we use VOSM in MD. They are on top of all new developments so their recommendations are pretty solid. [vosm.com]

My brother's dog suffers from same symptoms (17 years old). The vet recommended boiling up some chicken parts and serving the dog the broth and meat added to normal dry food. It has made a big improvement in mobility. My 2 cents.

i bought this on recommendation of a dog loving friend. really helped my schnozzle along with a vet prescription of doggie ibuprofen. (which was significantly cheaper at Costco pharmacy than what my vet charges.)

Pretty well proven not to work on humans so you might as well get rid of the stuff by giving it to Fido.

"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan

We started giving our mostly-Lab G&C (we just bought it at Sam's, dosage based on the vet's recommendation), at about that age, and it did him a world of good. Old guy went from whining after every walk to something very much like his previous standard-hyper-Lab self. It was remarkable.

The dog obviously didn't know he was getting meds, so I don't buy the "placebo effect" theory in this case. It made a huge and very obvious difference, added years to his life. He had very severe hip displaysia in his teens, but the G&C kept him from needing the real pain meds for several years.

We've been giving chewy glucosamine to our older dogs for years after our human doctor recommended it for us and our vet recommended it for our dog. He has horses( there is a photo of him with one of his horses in the office titled "I whisper to my horse but he doesn't listen"). He discussed a study on horses where autopsies were performed to compare the results of using glucosamine or not.

Our Pomeranian made it to 21 before she finally passed, and still tottered around and barked at the cats up until the end. Our Rat Terrier made it to 18, and could still jump up on the bed to snuggle, or go up and down the steps to lie outside in the sun.

Synovi 4. Chewy.com. Vet said everything else is about as good as drinking water. Helps our hound a lot.

That old man - he don't think like no old man...
Now I wouldn't want to be within 400 - 500 yards of one of them nuclear bombs when it goes off! WW1 Vet Old Man
"He's pinned under an outcropping of rock. Lucky for him, the rock kept the dirt from burying him alive."
If idiots could fly, this place would be an airport. And I'd be a TSA agent.
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